Cataclysm
by WildFireWriter222
Summary: Fight and survive. Instinct and her spirits are her only loyal companions. Lucy taught herself that to care is to get hurt; to feel is to die. However, the day she stumbles on a group of rebels, and one hot-head in particular, may prove to be the day that she learns her greatest lesson of all: how to be human. Post Apoc AU (but with a twist). Nalu with eventual smut *wink*


_Pre A/N: Hey! This is my first attempt at a non-fluffy fanfic and actually the first that I'm going to post on . Hopefully it goes alright...ahaha...*SWEATS PROFUSELY* Now this chapter isn't particularly long but it's because I decided to save the next part for later...because I'm a bad person mwahahaha...but don't worry. There is definitely more to come_

 _Warning: If you are squeamish or are triggered by the following: death, struggles with anxiety, loss, sex, swearing, etc., this is NOT the fic for you_

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Lucy was just about to plate her chicken parmesan when she first heard it. The faint creak and groan of her ceiling, as if something was standing on it. Lucy paused, placing her chicken on the dining room table. She took a cautious step toward the middle of the room and stared at the origin of the sound. She cocked her head. Since when did her ceiling fan make that kind of noise? Maybe she should tell her landlady about it; if that thing fell without letting that woman know, who knows how much repairs would cost. The groaning slowly faded into a barely audible hum.

She waited.

The clock on her wall ticked.

Then ticked again.

She was about to blow it off when goosebumps peppered her skin.

A pulse of electricity shot through her, drawing a gasp from her lips. A loud boom jolted her room, throwing Lucy to the ground with a loud _oof!_ Her plate shattered from the table behind her. She pushed herself off of the ground only to be tossed back down by another blast.

"An earthquake? Here?" she exclaimed.

A blood curdling scream ripped through the air and her windows exploded, scattering glass shards across her living room. The girl threw her arms over her head as the pieces rained down on her and sliced her skin. She clenched her teeth and scrambled on shaky legs to her window.

Her eyes widened.

Large blue balls of magic rained down from the sky, laying waste to the once beautiful town of Hargeon. The baker's shop across the street was completely flattened, the tailor's next door on fire. Dry heavy heat corrupted the normally cool coastal breeze of the harbor. The stench of rotting eggs clawed at the light vanilla of her candle, strangling its flame.

"This can't be happening. This isn't real," she whispered, wiping a line of sweat from her forehead.

She shook her head and slapped her cheeks, trying to wake herself from this nightmare.

She froze as she watched another globe of magic smash into a warehouse a few doors down from her own. Concrete exploded and shot in all directions. Gas lines ignited and engulfed what was left of the building.

She needed to get out. Who knew how long it would be until her home was next.

Her eyes scanned her apartment before stopping at the table by the door. Lucy raced to grab her boots just as another explosion tore through her living room. Her body was hurled at the front door at full force, slamming her head into the wood. The world went fuzzy. Her head felt light and all she could hear was a sharp ringing that dulled any other sounds.

Everything was floating, as if her brain had turned into a cloud. Cotton muffled any sound that tried to reach her ears. The world was blurry and unfocused; As though it were underwater and she had tried to open her eyes.

She blinked a few times as her vision adjusted. The wails of the wounded and dying cut through the ringing in her ears and blended with the harsh crackling of crumbling structures.

She tried shaking her head but stopped when a throbbing pain shot through her skull. Lucy groaned. She lifted her eyes to where the explosion had emanated.

A now flaming hole sliced through the side of her building, as though someone had shot a gun right through all four floors of apartments. She lifted her bleary gaze through the blackened opening and to the devastation that was her home town. Everything was burning: trees, buildings, even people.

Lucy gasped and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to pretend that this wasn't happening. That it was just a dream. Agonized shrieks slashed through the chaos like a knife, carving their way into her head and reverberating throughout her brain. The scent of burning flesh and charcoaled skin tangled with the smell of dried herbs and rotting wood. Its odor burrowed its way into her nose, sticking to her skin, her clothes and seeping into her mouth. It latched itself to her tongue like a virus, passing down her throat and into her body. The smell of perverted death oozed into her pores, absorbing and becoming a part of her.

The blonde coughed and spit, trying to clear the infection from her body. She shook her fuzzy head and slammed her hands over her ears. She pressed her palms against the sides of her head hard enough to make it ache. Their screams didn't die out. The image of their blistering bodies didn't disappear. And the smell. That awful, unforgettable smell blanketed her in a layer of grime.

She shuddered.

Lucy reached a shaky hand to her key pouch and whip on the floor next to her. She pushed herself to her feet, stumbling into the wall as the world tilted.

She took one step forward and the world shook again. Lucy pressed herself against the wall, steadying herself.

"What the hell is going on?" she murmured.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and another static wave shot through her. With barely enough time to breathe, Lucy launched herself through the gaping hole just before another ball of magic hurtled into the rest of her apartment. She crashed onto the new pile of debris and tumbled to the ground. Her body slammed back to the earth, the breath ripped from her lungs.

She lay on her back, gulping air like a fish out of water. Lucy grimaced at the ache in her back and head that landed on a particularly unforgiving patch of upturned concrete. Hundreds of terrified civilians raced passed her, some screaming hysterically, others scrambling to beat the others to the edge of town.

"Look out!" a man cried.

Lucy's eyes jerked to where the man pointed and her heart dropped. The pulsing blue orb quickly grew in size directly above her. Adrenaline shot through her like lightning, pushing her up and off the ground. Her legs pounded the crumbling cobblestone streets. She shoved passed several insane people that stopped to gawk at the doom looming overhead. She pumped her arms, driving her legs forward. Her chest heaved, her legs burned, but the only thought running through her mind was to get out of there.

The blonde dove behind the coverage of a nearby pile of rubble. With a heaving breath, she slapped her hands to her ears. Not two seconds later, the magical orb crashed into the cobblestone with a resounding boom, much like an Etherion blast. The explosion easily reached her ears, sending the sound echoing around her head. Lucy grit her teeth. The ground shook with the force of the atomic like blast, sending the rubble above her crumbling down. She hissed as a few bricks slit across her skin.

As soon as the sound diminished, Lucy bolted down the street, racing for the edge of town. She passed many of her favorite store fronts: the mom and pop diner she'd spent more time in than her own apartment, the boutique that sold her her first whip before later receiving a new one from Virgo, the magic shop where she bought Plue. Now they slouched beneath tons of debris like the well-worn sofa that once rested in her living room. As she neared the diner, a splash of red shimmering with the setting sun caught her eye.

She slowed, immediately wishing she hadn't. The minute she saw a the mangled remains of what most definitely was an arm, she was off again. Adrenaline and disgust fueled her sprint. Bile rose at the back of her throat.

She knew that hand. She had seen it every time he had scooped a spoonful of her signature cherry yogurt into her favorite glass adorned with intricate flowers carved into its crystalline surface. She'd seen his aged yet smooth hands everyday for the last eleven years. But the thing that distinguished him the most, the thing that he refused to remove, was the woven pink bracelet Lucy had given him on his fiftieth birthday.

She collapsed against an empty underpass, a cry crawling its way passed her lips. Tears stung her eyes, threatening to release. Dozens of people raced by, ignoring the girl losing it in the shadows. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head roughly. She slapped a hand over her mouth to try and stop the sobs that wracked her body.

 _Wake up. Wake_ up _. Come_ on _!_

She slapped her cheeks together, ripping her from her feeble mindset.

 _There's no time to sit around and mourn the dead. You have to get out while you still can or you'll end up like one of them._

She stifled her sobs, wiping her nose on her tattered sleeve. She shook her head again and pushed the image of his broken arm out of her mind. There's no time to think about that.

Lucy pressed her lips together in a fine line and pushed off of the wall, bracing her legs for more sprinting. No more distractions. Focus on them after you escape.

She thrusted her feet forward, driving them into the rough, cracked sidewalk.

Only a few more blocks and you're there.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins, kicking her legs into high gear. She didn't feel the burn in her muscles nor the ache in her lungs. She didn't feel the metal and rocks that slashed at her calves and feet, leaving streams of blood trailing down her leg despite the coverage of boots. She pumped her arms, determined to get out of town before it was completely crushed.

She turned the last corner and almost slammed into the back of a panicked and wounded civilian. All of the people trying to escape the chaos behind them crowded at the gate of Hargeon. The cloud of arguing and pleas for escape churned together to create a cacophony of pandemonium. Lucy peered between heads, trying to get a look at what was blocking the only exit. People pushed at her in every direction, their mere proximity setting her on edge. Clenching her teeth, she forced her way through the crowd, ignoring the rising amounts of protest as she pressed forward. Children screamed in confusion. Men bellowed distressed comments at the blockade and women cried, pleading to save their children.

As she neared the culprit of the blockade, their cries became clearer.

"Please help us!"

"It's not safe anymore!"

"My home is destroyed! Where else can I go?"

"My children are dying!"

"I thought you were supposed to help us!"

Lucy narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. So it was people holding the civilians back? _People_ were refusing to help anyone?

"Please, calm down!" a new voice boomed. "We need you to head back to your homes and stay inside. The council is taking care of this."

Lucy pushed through the last line of people and came face to face with the people responsible for the blockade. The man in charge stared down at the crowd with sharp eyes and clenched his jaw. He rolled his shoulders back and straightened his posture as he peered at a particularly angry civilian. He was trying to be strong and commanding in the eyes of the people but Lucy could see right through him; he was terrified. She could tell in the way he would run a hand through his already ruffled white hair, the way he clenched his fists when they started shaking, the way his eyes widened a fraction when a large violet orb smashed to the ground a few blocks from where they stood.

He stood on top of an overturned carriage surrounded by his equally stoic guild mates. To his right was a small girl with pink pigtails and hands on her hips, scanning the crowd with narrowed eyes. To his left, a man lifted his hand and furrowed his obnoxiously large eyebrows. Lucy winced as she felt a barrier cut off her hold on her magic, as if an invisible wall was preventing her from reaching her spirits. She felt her body falter from lack of magic. He must be an Anti-Mage, a mage that specializes in nullifying magic.

 _He's probably using it to keep other mages from attacking,_ she thought.

"Go back to our homes?" someone protested. "There's nothing left! My house is gone!"

"How can we go back with those things destroying everything?" another civilian chimed in.

The crowd roared in agreement. They rushed forward, pressing Lucy to the wall of the carriage. She gasped as the air was forced out of her at the sheer force of the horde of people desperate to escape. The carriage rocked violently and the wizards atop its roof were thrown off, colliding with the dirt with audible grunts. Elbows rammed into her back. Bodies pressed her farther into the wood, choking off her air. Lucy gasped, trying to suck in any air she could but the considerable amount of people driving her forward suffocated anything she may have breathed.

Desperate fingers thrust to her waist between the mess of limbs trapping her to the carriage. She grasped the first key she could lay her hand on. She grasped again at her magic and this time, gripped it with all her might.

"Open! Gate of the Golden Bull!" she choked out. "Taurus!"

A flash of golden light erupted from Lucy's position beside the fallen carriage. A large cow appeared with a resounding _moo!_ Without hesitation, Taurus swung the flat of his extremely large ax, effectively forcing the impending mob back a few feet. Lucy heaved as air raced back into her lungs. Her eyes watered at the sudden intake of air and her hand instinctively shot to her throat.

"How ya doin', Miss Lucy?" Taurus asked, without taking his eyes off the crowd. The mob quieted a fraction, shocked at the sudden appearance of not only a wizard but of her celestial spirit as well.

Lucy coughed but gave him a thumbs up.

"Better now, thanks to you," she said, her voice gaining strength.

The white haired man groaned from behind the carriage as he pushed himself back atop its roof. He stared down at her, this time not bothering to hide his startled expression.

"You're a mage?" he questioned.

Taurus turned and took a protective step forward but Lucy waved him off, her eyes not leaving the man.

"Nevermind that," she said, cutting him off before he could continue. She turned to face him head on, her own brows furrowing. "Why are you preventing these people from leaving? This place is clearly unsafe but you're still here? Are you really that blind?"

The man stopped, his mouth forming a round "o". His eyes shifted from the people to the dark magic wreaking havoc then to Lucy. A bead of sweat made its way down the side of his face.

"Well…" he started.

Lucy felt that all too familiar static wave pass through her. Heart leaping into action, she turned to the crowd and screamed for them to duck. The citizens screamed as the orb of violet magic sped towards them and slammed into the earth. People were thrown into the sky like rag dolls sent flying into the air only to impact with a loud crack. Lucy threw herself to the ground, her arms flying over her head. Pure heat waves slammed into them, almost lifting them off the ground. She ground her teeth and pressed her fingers harder into her skull.

The heat slowly dissipated yet many more civilians scrambled forward, trying to force their way past the blockade. Taurus shot to his feet and lifted his ax to push back the desperate people.

"You'd better get a moooooove on, Miss Lucy. I don't know how much more I can take," Taurus called over his shoulder, grunting with the force of people.

"Don't you see? Hundreds, if not thousands, of people are already dead and many more are going to join them unless you move," Lucy tried again, her cries turning desperate. " _Please_!"

The white haired leader blinked and cleared his throat. He shifted the blue cloak around his shoulders and pressed his lips into a thin line. He knew this was wrong; why couldn't he just disobey the council this much? Was he really willing to let innocent people die because of his bull-headedness?

"We are simply not allowed to let the citizens to leave. Council's orders," he stated, a fake steadiness returning to his voice.

Lucy reeled back and felt Taurus tense. Even after he saw everything, he _still_ wouldn't move?

Frustration boiled inside her.

"Are you insane? Why would the council do that?" she argued, taking a threatening step forward.

The man slapped a fist to his palm in an instant. Mist flowed around his hands, signalling the beginning of a spell. The rest of his guild mates, now recovered from their falls, readied themselves for a fight. Lucy paused and the crowd seemed to take a tentative step back.

"Don't take another step," he warned, his eyes narrowing.

She slowly lifted her hands from their positions on her keys. Taurus tried to again step between the two but, just like before, Lucy stopped him. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't take all of them on. They probably wouldn't be powerful individually but as a guild, they could do some major damage. And with Lucy's magic coupled with the hundreds of non-mages surrounding them, the only way any confrontation would end would be in more chaos. Something they all really didn't need.

Lucy sighed and lifted Taurus' key. She tossed an apologetic look over her shoulder before closing his gate. No sooner had his gate closed did Lucy turn back to the mages.

"I didn't come here for a fight," she began slowly, "but you can't just leave these people to die."

 _And I'm certainly not going to sit around and do nothing. Who cares what the council says,_ she thought.

She turned to face the throngs of people and took a daring step towards them. She took a deep breath, ignoring the lone drop of sweat sliding down her spine.

"I'm going to be going back to the city to look for another way out," she yelled to the crowd.

Each head turned to face her. Normally, she would be intimidated by the eyes on her, now that she was speaking instead of fighting. But this wasn't normal. This was a matter of life or death and she couldn't get hung up on fear, no matter how small.

"We can't just wait around and hope something happens. Follow me or don't. Doesn't matter. I'm getting out of this city and if you'd like to still be standing tomorrow, I'd suggest you come too," she exclaimed.

Without a glance back, Lucy started forward. The startled non-mages slowly parted, allowing her passage. She steadily made her way out of the crowd, carefully making sure she didn't trip on any of the wounded in her path.

At first, she was only met with silence and the astonished faces of civilians. She bit her lip.

"Excuse me?"

"Miss! Wait for me!"

"I'm coming too!"

Lucy stopped and breathed a sigh of relief. She slowly turned to see a small circle of people surrounding her. She smiled to herself. Though she hadn't expected many people to listen to her, she was pleasantly surprised to see this group that put their blind trust in someone they had just met. Maybe it was just because she was a mage? Or because of her willingness to stand up to the bullies? Or even her determination to find a way out of this poor destroyed town?

At this point, it was probably because most of them were just as scared and crazy as she was.

She scanned the small group, connecting with each of their eyes.

"Ok. If we're going to leave, we'd better do it now before this gets any worse," she said.

They nodded and she turned. Her tattered boots kicked up loose dirt behind her as she took off again.

"Come on!" she urged through desperate pants. "We're almost there!"

She had to keep them going even though she had no idea where _there_ was.

Lucy's heart was about to burst out of her chest. Her lungs barely had the chance to keep in air before it was roughly heaved out again. That last crash had sent debris flying in every direction, giving her one hell of a gash across her forearm and almost taking a chunk out of her thigh. The first woman that had joined her group lay somewhere buried beneath rubble a few blocks back. A few men had attempted to free her but the woman refused to let others die for her. With an aching heart, Lucy had forced herself to turn from the scene and push off again.

 _You can't cry yet. You're almost there. Just keep pushing,_ she thought.

She pumped her arms, urging her legs to follow. The group of civilians had kept up with her pace for the most part but that orb that almost hit them seemed to kick them into gear. Now, Lucy could practically feel their wheezes on the back of her neck.

Her eyes snapped to her surroundings, trying to make sense of the demolished town. She wasn't sure there _was_ a way out. The only road out was blocked by those stubborn mages. The docks we're useless; they'd passed the scattered remains of boats and splintered wood peppering the beach a few streets back. The town pretty much trapped itself in, save for the forest to the south.

Her eyes widened.

The _forest._

And that was about two blocks away.

She pushed herself even farther, if that was even possible at this point. If they could just make it there, then they would be safe. Hopefully.

"We're going to the forest! Hopefully that will at least give us a way out!" she cried over her shoulder.

She jerked her body sharply to the left, rounding another corner. Tops of green pine trees came into view as she crested one last hill. She smiled. They finally had a way out. They could make it.

One more block and then…

Electricity shot through her, ripping the grin from her mouth. She stopped abruptly, whipping her head around to try and find the source of the strong magic.

Her mouth and heart dropped.

" _DUCK!"_ she screamed just as a particularly vicious magic ball crashed into the building mere feet from her.

She lifted her arms instinctively to her face before she was lifted off the ground and hurled into the side of a crumbling apartment building.

She felt something rip into her gut and bricks tumble onto her body. The world fell silent.

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 _A/N: So? What did you think? Did I do alright? Is this all legible or does it sound like a caveman wrote it? I have no idea anymore; I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have read and reread this dang chapter. But it's whatever. Ummmm what do I say now? Oh yeah! Reviews, likes, favorites, all that jazz really helps motivate me to write more and faster and I really appreciate the support! Keep in mind though: I'm a full-time student with a part-time job so I don't have a lot of time to write. Be patient! Don't worry!_

 _WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO LUCY?_

 _WHY DOES THE WORLD SEEM LIKE IT'S HAVING A PISSY FIT?_

 _AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?_

JOIN US NEXT TIME ON: _CATACLYSM_


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